Everything announced at Ubisoft Forward

To kick things off today, you've got me Sam Loveridge here to run down everything we should see in today's Ubisoft Forward, from the games we know we're seeing to potential wildcards / wild personal hopes. *whisper it* Beyond Good and Evil 2. Hey look, a girl can dream can't she?

Let's start with the hottest new reveal - Star Wars Outlaws. It dropped last night as part of the Xbox Games Showcase, after being initially announced as just 'an open world Star Wars game from Ubisoft and Massive' back in January 2021. 

Now we know it's called Star Wars Outlaws, and this project from Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Lucasfilm Games will star Kay Vess, a 'clever scoundrel in the galactic underworld'.

She accompanied by certified 'lil' guy' Nix and a BX-commando droid who wears a trench coat. 

Definitely sounds like Star Wars Outlaws will offer a heist game Han Solo would be proud of when it launches in 2024. Thankfully, we're also getting a "gameplay walkthrough reveal" at today's Ubisoft Forward, so we should see a lot more of this brand new upcoming Star Wars game. 

Interestingly, it's being called the "first-ever open-world Star Wars game", which sounds like quite the departure from other Star Wars games we've had to date, including the most recent Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which actually takes place over a series of hub areas rather than a big open world. How exactly an open-world Star Wars game would work when there will inevitably be planet-hopping involved is a question I'd love to see answered today.

Can we just pause to appreciate Nix though. We're so happy on team GR+ that Star Wars Outlaws is continuing a rich tradition of lil' guys after we all fell hard for the likes of Turgle, Boglings, Skoova, and many more of the creatures Cal and BD-1 encounter along their journey in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. 

Ubisoft has also confirmed that Assassin's Creed Mirage will feature at today's Forward. The next entry in the series just got an October 12 release date at the recent PlayStation Showcase back on May 24, with the gameplay shown doing a brilliant Assassin's Creed 2 impression.

I'm so excited about this smaller, more focused game, especially after spending almost 200 hours in Assassin's Creed Valhalla and its various DLCs. It's a return to stealth-action and more narrative driven all set within a single city - Baghdad. Apparently citizens will react to your every move, so you bet I'm going to be making parkour hell for the citizens. 

It stars Basim and is set a few decades before he appears in Assassin's Creed Valhalla so let's call it an origins story of sorts - but also for the series a little with this game.

"There's a bit of every Assassin's Creed game in Mirage, and players can look forward to going back to the roots [of the series] while experiencing a modern take on gameplay and iconic features of the early games," says Ubisoft Bordeaux.

Sorry folks, I took a little break for lunch and forgot to tell you. How rude of me.

Now, the other game that's going to get some headliner action is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This game was originally announced back in 2021, and was initially scheduled to drop in 2022, before moving into 2023, and subsequently getting delayed to 2024 to add extra polish.

Weirdly, we've not really seen much of the game since June 2021 though, when the game's first look trailer debuted - which you can watch above.

What we do know is that Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will be a standalone story in an area of Pandora that we've not seen in the movies to date. It takes place during The Way of Water's time skip, so a little after the movie starts but before the one-year time cut. 

I just can't wait to see some gameplay! Recently some screenshots allegedly got leaked, which showed off some combat, including bows and what looks like hunting. But also, it looks to be first-person perspective, which Ubisoft hasn't actually confirmed yet.

From what we've seen so far, it could well be a really stunning game - as you'd hope from what we know of Pandora from the movies. 

Interestingly, another game Ubisoft has said we're seeing more of today is Assassin's Creed Jade. Now, rather than a console experience, Codename Jade is being developed solely for mobile platforms. 

It's said to offer a seamless touch control experience and offering up an open world for people to play in. For this one, we're going to Ancient China, and we'll be able to parkour on the Great Wall as we sneak through the cities and discover 'secret locations'. Genuinely looks pretty darn cool from the original announcement trailer.

It's particularly interesting as it's just one of many upcoming Assassin's Creed games that got teased at the same event. Codename Jade popped up alongside the likes of Assassin's Creed Hexe - a seemingly Blair Witch-esque title - and the Japanese-set Assassin's Creed Red.

Ubisoft hasn't said anything about whether these two other titles will appear at today's Ubisoft Forward, or anything about the hub-like Assassin's Creed Infinity either.

However, there is another Assassin's Creed game in the runnings to get shown off today. Assassin's Creed Nexus VR is an upcoming experience for Meta Quest Pro, Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3, currently sporting a 2023 release window. 

According to Ubisoft, we're getting the 'full reveal' today. All we know about it so far is that it's an "all-new Assassin's Creed game built exclusively for VR", or that was until Assassin's Creed fans cracked some cryptic teases laid about by Ubisoft. 

According to those teases, we should expect Nexus to start Assassin's Creed 3's Connor, Ezio from Assassin's Creed 2, Brothehood and Revelations, alongside Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Now if it also wants to come to PSVR2 I won't be mad about it.

Pivoting away from Assassin's Creed for now, there's another upcoming Ubisoft game due to get a showing today that only just got announced. That's Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. 

Set in a mythological Persian world, it's a side-scrolling adventure where you'll need to use your platforming skills and Time Powers alongside more traditional combat to "unravel the mysteries of Mount Qaf". 

It's also "inspired by the Metroidvania structure", although we'll no doubt get a little more clarity on that later today.

What I love is the art style. It's clean, a little cartoony, and super bright. Although, the fans are a little more critical to the point that Prince of Persia's original creator has had to openly back the new game amid criticism of the "spin-off".

AN HOUR TO GO

Don't forget, here's how to watch the Ubisoft Forward at 10AM PT / 1PM ET / 6PM BST / 7PM CET

We're in the homeward stretch now, with just over half an hour to go until the main Ubisoft Forward showcase - and just over 15 minutes to go until the pre-show begins. 

Which Ubisoft game are you most hyped to see? For me it's got to be a tie between Mirage and Star Wars Outlaws.

Although, if Ubisoft wants to announce a new Rayman I may genuinely cry.

The pre-show is starting now, with Rainbow Six Siege heading up the micro-broadcast.

Mainly a recap of why these streamers / player love Rainbow Six Siege now that a new season has been released. 

"winning is everything" apparently. That's not what my parents taught me.

This is just reminding me how much I loved Assassin's Creed Unity.

Ubisoft Plus plug now, which is Ubisoft's own game subscription service.

See anyone you recognise in those live shots from the Ubisoft Forward physical event in LA?

Gratuitous abuse of NPCs happening right now, just to show that while NPC feelings can't be hurt ours can.

Be nice friends.

Hey don't mock people who like to play their mobile games in the bath.

It's like watching the ads in the movie theater before the trailers even start... except, plot twist, the movie we're here for IS the trailers

No, thank YOU for playing.

Okay here we go folks!

Just Dance kicking things off as usual?

Yes, yes it is.

Its now an official license event for the Olympic eSports?

Bring back the Panda Ubisoft

Live blogging? More like live bopping.

Just Dance 2024 edition coming October 24, 2023.

And we're starting off with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Mix of gameplay and in-engine for this trailer

You've been trained in the human weapons as your player character, but then one day they left. Teacher put everyone to sleep for 15 years, and then you're brought back to life.

Definitely first-person gameplay, exploring Pandora with Mirror's Edge-style parkour going on between the trees.

Can fly on the lizard creatures. 

James Cameron wants players to "dream with our eyes wide open". Creepy

Massive has been "pushing the boundaries of what's possible" for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

New environments, new flora and fauna.

Original story, as we knew before.

We getting a cheeky release date?

Game Direct Ditte Deefeldt on stage now for more Avatar

"Tangile and immersive first-person experience"

December 7 release date!

Set on the Western Frontier of Pandora

John Mercer abducts you as a child and teaches you the human ways. But the battle of the Hallelujah Mountains puts a stop to that. You're put in cryosleep for 15 years and then you wake up as an outsider in your own home. You'll have to regain the Na'vi people's trust.

Clan of peaceful weavers will be the people you'll befriend here. Bond for life with your own Ikran. You can name it, theme and customize it. Aerial acrobatics confirmed!

Grasslands are located further north, along with another clan that you can befriend. 

Clouded forest to west, and here there's a clan of healers. They have their own dark reasons to stay hidden.

You'll have to stop the RDA from ravaging your home and eventually take the fight to them. You can use your instincts to get an overview of battle, but then use Na'vi weaponry alongside human guns in combat.

Weapon upgrading, cooking, learning new skills by connecting to the tree.

Also features two-player online co-op. 

So yeah, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora coming December 7 to PC, Xbox Series X, and PS5.

trailer here too

XDefiant up now with Mark Rubin, the executive producer

28 public tests for XDefiant so far.

Currently planning on launching XDefiant later this summer

Open session on June 21-23 for PC, Xbox Series X, and PS5 players for as much feedback as possible.

One new map every month for year one, all inspired by Ubisoft's amazing worlds.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown up now with a cool stylised trailer

Looks like we'll be battling lots of mythological creatures in this one.

Coming January 18, 2024

Your mission is clear - find the prince and bring him back. But, of course it's also filled with skeletons.

"In this cursed land, exploration is everything"

To reach new areas you have to make the most of your abilities and your timing - very key to the Prince of Persia experience.

Lots of slick combat moves, especially as our hero is a swordsman like no other.

Time powers are back, but this time they're not only in your hands. Plus, you re able to defy gravity!

Releasing on all platforms - last gen included.

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix....

Adi Shankar on stage now, best known for the Castlevania Netflix series. 

Now he's back with a TV series based on the Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon DLC?

An anime that's a loveletter to the 90s - or at least how he remembers it. Oh wait, Ubisoft said no to his pitch. lol

Oh wait, they said yes. I mean look at this outfit.

Ubisoft's first anime inbound. Series was picked up by Netflix. 

Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is being release later this year on Netflix "barring an apocalypse". 

But, for now we've got an "action-packed Easter egg-filled trailer"

'Your world just got remixed'

There are Assassin's in it for some reason?

Coming Fall 2023.

Now it's time for The Division Resurgance. This is the free-to-play multiplayer third-person shooter mobile game

Bloc Party track behind the trailer. Winner.

All the usual Division gadgets on show here. Extraction points.

Actual mobile gameplay coming up now.

Coming Fall 2023.

Pre-registration starts now.

A band called Home Free now with their song "Skull and Bones". Is it time for a bit of pirate action?

Division Resurgence screens for you.

According to the description on here, there's a closed beta coming 

Ah here you go, August 24-28

Little recap of all the new content coming to existing Ubisoft games happening now.

Rabbid time!

Final DLC with Rayman coming later in 2023. That's going to be my only Rayman news today isn't it.

Crew Motorsport up now - with not actual gameplay footage.

Free him Ubisoft.

Crew Motorfest looking very Forza Horizon right now.

You choose how you like to have fun with your car.

Playlists are truly at the heart of Motorfest.

It's the perfect playground for driving. We're off to Hawaii

According to the official site, The Crew Motorfest is coming September 14!

Closed beta coming July 21-25

3 days early access for special edition people

And now we're onto Assassin's Creed Nexus.

Kassandra and Ezio!

This looks very cool. First person assassinations!

Assassin's Creed Nexus VR - no release date?

No PSVR 2 - just Meta Quest. 

You'll feel what it's like to feel stealthy. Ezio, Kassandra, and Connor confirmed.

And swiftly onto Assassin's Creed Jade. 

You can register now for the upcoming beta. 

Free-to-play too, but I think we knew that.

No full release date or closed beta date there for Codename Jade.

Assassin's Creed Mirage now! Assassin's triple threat.

Story trailer coming up now, and we're going straight into an assassination, as you'd hope.

What a scream as that guy falls from the building haha.

'The Story of the Feather' - the feathers of the heron were dipped in the blood of the target, remind of us of who we are and who we can be.

Okay, I am hooked by that trailer. You gotta watch it. 

Gameplay trailer already out, which I'm assuming we're going into now

Gameplay will explore Basim taking down his first target and reporting back to Roshan.

Already we're straight in with the kind of Assassin's Creed 2 gameplay we hoped. Leaping along the edge of buildings trying to get away from the guards.

And we're back to Roshan already, Basim is speedy on his feet.

Roshan seems like a hard mentor.

Choice of missions to grab next from some kind of board there. And options for weapons, including the old blow dart!

Hiding amongst the poppies, using a smoke grenade to stun an enemy before hidden blading him, and then using a throwing knife. It's very Ezio.

Tagging target for chained assassinations also back!

Lovely kill cam for the main target by the looks too! "Contractor request" asks you not to take damage.

Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO here now

Introducing Star Wars Outlaws with Julian Gerighty from Massive Entertainment

"For outlaws, this is a time of opportunity". Kay and Nix fight for survival every day.

Kay unexpectedly becomes one of the galaxy's most wanted. To clear her name she's got to pull off the greatest heist the Underworld has ever seen.

Kay and Nix's journey will take them across the universe. One of these places is a moon that I did not catch the name of

Oh wow, all the Ubisoft studios are on this one then, eh?

Star Wars Outlaws gameplay coming up!

Would die for Nix really. With their little ball.

Kay and Nix are stealthing through some kind of factory here. Nix can be used to press buttons and distract people. 

Handy and adorable!

Kay gets caught, she tries to talk her way out of it, but we're now into a gunfight. 

Three different weapons to choose from by the looks. 

Enemies marked out by pointers on screen. Grapple hook to swing from beams and lower herself down. She jumps straight onto a hoverbike, but is chased down by the enemies almost immediately. 

Time slowdown mechanics to mark out targets to quickfire with weapons. 

Juanta's Hope is the city here. 

Sorry folks, my Chrome keeps crashing! We're suddenly at a gambling table!

Dialogue options allow us to bribe or not bribe the woman at the table.

Uh oh, they know we're here. Wanted system confirmed

I'm getting serious Rockstar vibes from all of this! Looks very cool.

Straight into your ship and blasting off the planet.

Do we think those dialogue choices mean branching narratives? What would have happened if we did bribe her?

Straight into spaceship combat from blasting off that planet. All looking incredibly seemless. Your ship has hyperdrive too. 

Nix has got a new toy. A teenie purple ball.

"where do we go next?" "anywhere we want"

Every location looks epic!

Well that looks incredible. 2024 launch for that one. I wish it were sooner!

That's a wrap, but have some screenshots seeing as you've been so good. 

12 minutes of gameplay right here for you:

And now we're onto talking about Kay and Nix as characters. Nix is an extension of Kay - both narratively and gameplay wise.

"They're completely connected"

Clearly still being made - omg look at the mo-cap Nix.

More news on the game coming at San Diego Comic-Con for Star Wars Outlaws.

Nix is a Merqaal, a rare and exotic creature. His history and home world remain a mystery. She's grown up with Nix her whole life. 

Kay has found herself on the moon of Nasaara. 

Pykes are one of the syndicates that we'll be tangling with. Pykes are taking weapons and vehicles from the Empire and chopping them up - so a space chop shop? 

Nix can distract guards, push buttons, attack, solve puzzles, discover secrets, and more. 

Kay knows her way around a blaster, but it's not her first choice in solving a situation. Blaster is a useful tool - not just for combat. It's very meaningful to her, lots of modules to discover that will let you solve situations in a number of different ways. 

Nix can grab a weapon dropped by an enemy for you to then use. 

Sometimes the best solution is to just get out of there. 

One of the biggest things we wanted to bring was this moon - Toshara - says Massive.

Kay is a "resourceful underdog". 

Gameplay ranges from stealth to full on firefights - very much evident in this gameplay slice too. 

Her choices play into how you'll experience the story. Reputation very much tied into who you can take missions for by the sounds of it. 

ND-5 serves as an enforcer droid in the Underworld. 

Factions you encounter play many roles - including experience you'll gain, gear you'll unlock, and your precious reputation. 

Who she works with is key to her reputation. It's key to getting bigger and better rewards too. 

Nothing is straightforward when you're a scoundrel. The choices you make - there are no wrong answers, just ways to weave your own stories. Gain an advantage or different perspectives. 

Giving you a lot of agency to craft your own story.

"We want to show a different side of the Empire" - we're talking mostly the underworld and corruption. I'm guessing not as much of the stormtroopers and classic Star Wars stuff?

If you continue to challenge the Empire, your Wanted Level will just keep going up until The Empire throws everything at you.

The Trailblazer - your spaceship. EML 850 light freighter, and Kay's home. 

Seamless experience from foot into spaceship into outer space.

It's important to hit those iconic Star Wars notes - says Massive. 

Every planet that you will visit has a distinct profile. Not just a bespoke story, but environment, wildlife, and other changes from location to location. Trying to develop unique profiles for every orbital system. 

Well somehow that developer walkthrough made me even more excited.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown developer walkthrough happening now. 

From the Rayman team then eh? RIP Rayman.

Sargon is a brand new character and the youngest of the Immortals. They've fought and won many battles together. 

The prince is the one we have to rescue. That's one of the different surprises to this game. 

Mount Qaf is the place you'll be exploring. 

No motion capture in this one. 

Lots of stuff to discover on Mount Qaf. New characters, new combat system, new art direction. "Still working hard to bring a top quality game"

And now we're onto dev chat for Assassin's Creed Mirage. 

On Baghdad - It's a dusty and sunny city, but also a garden city with a lot of flowers and palm trees

Caliphal Guard are the guys in red and your regular enemies in Mirage. 

You can corner swing - a love letter to the early AC games. 

Carpet with Assassin's Creed crest!!

Toolls ar every important to an assassin - unlocking the blow dart. Unlock a new tool everytime you rise up the ranks. Each tool can also be upgraded too, for example a berserker dart that sends enemies mad.

Lighting for Baghdad had to be right, say Ubisoft

Some of the developers grew up in Baghdad! 

Eagle Vision used to check out enemy locations and their vision cones - something new for AC. 

Social stealth is back, and you can also bribe groups to infiltrate new area. 

Slowdown time to allow you to react. 

Enemies can spot your eagle so you've got to be careful about when to use it. 

Avoid spreading the alert by utilizing all your tools. 

Assassin's Focus is a new skill for Basim to allow him to chain assassinations. Need to fill up a gauge in order to use this ability, so it's more limited. 

Handy red smoke bomb. Developers love the color. 

And that really is a wrap now! Nice work Ubisoft, lots of hidden additional details there!

Okay, so stay tuned while we wrap up everything we just saw at the Ubisoft Forward 2023!